Church of The Seed

[Nevrmore]

It looks innocent enough from the outside, like any other temple underfunded and overshadowed by those of Inari or Dyrr. The inside is nicely decorated, if a little underlit, and there seems to be a distinct ambience of silent faith about in the room. Two men both robed in black garments, hoods obscuring their face, stand at attention at each door. They cheerfully greet any visitors who happen upon the small temple.

In the center of the building, a congregation is taking place. Various nameless, faceless people sit in the pews, listening intently to the man at the altar, his face covered similarly by robes, only his are purple in color and have ornate gold patterns and inlay running throughout it. Aside from his soft voice, there is no noise in the room.

Once inside the building, there are three routes you can take; The Congregation Room is the center, "Assimilation Quarters" to the left, and "The Purification Room" to the right.

The congregation ends, and the various NPCs lower their heads silently. The man robed in purple sits at the altar, allowing any who cares to come up and speak with him.

[AmberVael]

((Ehe.... ahahahaha!
Iames's temple is a converted house))

[Flabbicus]

(( Ooh, a brain washing cult. I take it they offer Kool Aid? ))

[Nevrmore]

((Ehe.... ahahahaha!
Iames's temple is a converted house))
((Oh snap.

That's what I get for thinking of the only two "Temple of" threads that I could think of and writing them down.))

[AmberVael]

((Yeah. Its not exactly an awe inspiring temple. :P))

[Nevrmore]

((Are you going to enter the temple or not, Satchmo?))

[Nevrmore]

The robed man stands.

"Seedlings, I must leave you for the moment. Continue to recite your vows." The faceless people in the pews don't even seem to notice, keeping their heads bent crooked like oddly shaped statues. The man exits.

[Nekulor]

((My temple is about 100 ft tall, tower like, with gothic architecture. Is that what you want nevrmore?))

[Nevrmore]

((That'll do, pig. That'll do.))

[Nekulor]

(( ah, a babe reference. I shall now go soak my head in acid for that one.))

[Nevrmore]

The robed man re-enters the congregation, stepping up to the altar. All of the churchgoers lift their heads to listen as he talks about a tremendous victory committed for their Church.

[Nevrmore]

Several new faces - including more than a handful of goblins - enter the congregation chamber and find a seat.

[Rebonack]

The Traveler pokes his head in through the door and addresses the first person he encounters.

"Is this the, eerr," he looks at the flyer he's holding. "Church of the Seed?"

[Nevrmore]

A man standing at the door addresses Maph'tey.

"Indeed it is. Do you wish to join?"

[Rebonack]

"Well, I would like to learn more about your rites and doctrine and so forth before I make a decision," the Traveler responds.

[Nevrmore]

The robed man nods knowingly, "Of course. Our pastor is out at the moment, but if you would like to wait, when he returns he will be happy to-"

"There is no need for predictions of the future." Lues calls it. The robed man immediately bows his head, allowing the father to pat him gently on his gulliver. Afterwards, he turns to Maph'tey. "So you are interested in joining our faith, my friend?"

[Rebonack]

"Before I make that decision I would like to learn a little more about your ideals here," the Traveler responds. "The flyer at Trog's said you believe in repentance and renewal. I'd like to know what you feel that means."

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles under his hood.

"You see, my friend, at this Church, we look at life as a mighty tree; It takes a long time to mature fully, leaving much room for physical, emotional, and spiritual growth." Lues pulls a seed from his pockets, holding it out for Maph'tey to see. "If that tree begins to die, if its leaves fall and its limbs grow weak, we believe that you can always repent and begin anew, just as a tree produces seeds to continue the cycle of reproduction." He puts the seed back into his pocket. "We do not rely on Gods to show us the path of enlightenment and we spurn the written works of man who believes he knows the answer to the cosmic mysterious, just as that flyer says."

[Rebonack]

Maph'tey considers the man's words and then poses another question.

"Would it be acceptable if I remained here for a while and viewed the people here? To hear the people's vows and so forth?"

[Nevrmore]

"Of course. If you wish to hear vows, you should proceed to the Purification Chambers. You may enter the Congregation Room if you like, but the patrons there understand to maintain silence."

[Rebonack]

"Thanks for being willing to entertain my curiosity," Maph'tey responds with a nod. He makes his way into the Purification Chamber and glances about to see if he can find anyone manning the room.

[Nevrmore]

Two men dressed in robes identical to the ones standing at the entrance man the doors. The room is darkened, except for the center where a small, circular patch of bright light shines down. Someone is in the center, laying in a pose of supplication. The light bathes their form, producing only a sillhouette. The person speaks quietly to themself.

[Rebonack]

The Traveler conjures a stool for himself and takes a seat. Apparently he has decided to simply sit and listen.

[Nevrmore]

If Maph'tey were a keen enough listener, he could hear the person mumbling several lines over and over again; Most of them some metaphor for spiritual awareness accounted as growth of a tree. Slowly, surely, he might make out the small raised area on the person's neck grow upwards towards the light. Before he can make out anything definite, one of the robed men call out,

"Enough, lass. Do you feel purified?"

The person stands up, adjusting their cloak to hide their neck.

"Indeed I do. Thank you." She says, bowing. "Send my regards to the Father." She promptly exits. A few minutes later, a man enters, walks into the light, and assumes the same pose as the woman.

[Rebonack]

For the sake of making things more interesting, Maph'tey doesn't notice the suspicious lump. The idea of repentance is compelling to him, but he had repented of his misdeeds a very long time ago. What he would like is absolution, to be freed from the burden of what he had done.

He's honestly not sure if praying in a little column of light would help meet that end.

Maph'tey follows close behind the woman and attempts to catch her attention.

"Eerr, excuse me miss? I'm trying to decide if this place has what it is I'm looking for. How... how exactly have you been purified?"

[Nevrmore]

The woman turns around, offering Maph'tey a gentle smile.

"I see you're a newcomer. I understand why you do not notice." She says, drawing closer to the traveler. "That light is a wondrous thing. It bathes you completely, it takes you out of the real world and into a world where all that exists is you. You and your spirit, who have the ability to come to terms with one another. It's easy to get lost for hours simply sitting in that light as it works its miracles." The woman sounds over-enthusiastic about this miracle-photon beam.

[Rebonack]

"Oh. I see..." Maph'tey considers this for a moment. Come to terms with his spirit? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Like... having a conversation with your sub-conscious or something? He shudders slightly. He already knows what his sub-conscious is like and it isn't something he wants to spend any length of time trying to come to terms with. He scrutinizes the beam for a moment, closes his eyes, and pensively attempts to touch his 'spirit'.

He is, of course, met by a clawing, gnashing monster fighting against the bars that hold it in check.

Maph'tey's eyes snap open and he sighs heavily.

"Thank you for your explanation, miss," Maph'tey says in a kind, but rather subdued, tone.

[Nevrmore]

The man leaves a few moments after Maph'tey speaks to his spirit (apparently he didn't have much cleansing to do.) One of the robed men speaks up.

"You're welcome to try, sir."

[Rebonack]

"I... well..." Maph'tey steels himself and strengthens the wards on his instincts. "Alright."

He steps into the circle of light and assumes the same position he had observed.

[Nevrmore]

The light shines down on Maph'tey, and he might notice the distinct feeling of...warmth.

Nothing changes. The room, the two men, everything is utterly the same as it was before the traveler entered that cyllindrical beam.

[Rebonack]

"Huh."

Maph'tey looks pretty baffled.

"I'll bet you broke it."

"Shush. Excuse me; am I doing something wrong here? The beam doesn't seem to be working for me."

[Nevrmore]

The smile fades from the robed man's face.

"Wh-what?" He stutters. As if it were some sort of summoning word, Lues enters, looking a deal angered.

"Oh ye gods, what have you done?" He says, turning to the robed man.

"I'm sorry...I didn't know he wasn't-"

"No excuses. Go to the congregation room." Lues orders. The robed man seems strangely hesitant. "Go!" The father repeats. The man bows his head and heads off quickly.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Lues regains his countenance. He walks over to Maph'tey. "I am very deeply sorry, sir." He says, bowing slightly, "I did not mention that only people who have joined that faith can accurately use the Sun of Penitence. My deepest apologies."

[Rebonack]

The Traveler looks somewhat concerned over the sudden outburst, but does speak up. He steps out of the ray, absently glancing up at the ceiling to see if he can determine where the light is emanating from.

"It's alright I just, well. I hope the acolyte who was in here isn't going to be in any sort of trouble on my account."

[Nevrmore]

Lues straightens his vestments, "Do not worry, dear friend. He is obviously overtired, I am simply taking him off duty for awhile." The pastor walks over to The Traveler. "I am overtired, myself, which I hope will excuse me outburst."

[Rebonack]

"I should probably be going. Thank you for sharing your faith with me pastor Lues," Maph'tey bows lightly and heads off toward the Streets.

[Nevrmore]

"Are you sure you would not reconsider? Please, forgive me, my outcry was unintentional."

[Rebonack]

The Traveler pauses.

"I... well. I'm afraid I won't be able to find what I'm looking for here," he responds. "I don't think I'll be able to find what I'm looking for in myself."

[Nevrmore]

"My friend, I am sorry to say that if you cannot find spiritual answers within yourself, you shalln't find them at all."

[Rebonack]

"The answers are where they are," Maph'tey states simply. "Where we believe them to be won't change where they are. I've found no answers in myself, and I've plumbed those depths to their roots and have come up empty handed. Perhaps I overlooked them. Perhaps they were never there to begin with. I have the feeling that the truth is the latter rather than the former."

"Duuuuuude..."

"Shush."

[Nevrmore]

Lues closes his eyes, sighing. "With that mentality, you are not right for this faith."

[Rebonack]

"My questions have been answered then," Maph'tey states in a pleasant tone. "Thank you for your time, pastor Lue. I appreciate your forthrightness."

[Nevrmore]

Something about him is unsettling. I'll leave him alone for now...

"Farewell, friend."

[Rebonack]

"Farewell to you as well. I wish you good fortune on your path to enlightenment."

Maph'tey bows lightly and heads out into the Streets.

[Sophistemon]

Jack Golgotha, also known as Jacky Knives, enters the church and looks around.

[Nevrmore]

"Welcome!" One of the doormen greets Jacky.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky offers the doorman a shaky smile. "Uh... hi. Is there... er... someone that I could talk to? It's been a while since I've been to church."

[Nevrmore]

"You can talk to me." Lues says, exiting the congregation room. He walks over to Jacky. His face is young, but his eyes belie some sort of otherworldy wisdom. "What would you like to know?"

[Sophistemon]

"Oh. Hi. I was wondering if... eh... if..."

Christ, if you're gonna be a p***y about it, just leave.

"I was wondering if redemption were possible."

[Nevrmore]

"Of course. It is the very foundation of this church."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky clears his throat.

"Everyone is eligible for redemption, then? Even those that... that don't deserve it?"

Just walk away. There's nothing for you here. Nothing for you anywhere.

[Nevrmore]

Lues wraps an arm around Jacky's shoulder, "My friend...everyone deserves redemption."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky pulls away abruptly, instinctively reaching for the knives he no longer has.

"Don't touch me!"

He inhales a massive breath and calms himself down.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. God, I'm f***ed up."

Another breath.

"I'd like to hear more."

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles under his hood as he begins to recite what he has, by now, memorized.

"You see, my friend, at this Church, we look at life as a mighty tree; It takes a long time to mature fully, leaving much room for physical, emotional, and spiritual growth." Lues pulls a seed from his pockets, holding it out for Jacky to see. "If that tree begins to die, if its leaves fall and its limbs grow weak, we believe that you can always repent and begin anew, just as a tree produces seeds to continue the cycle of reproduction." He puts the seed back into his pocket. "We do not rely on Gods to show us the path of enlightenment and we spurn the written works of man who believes he knows the answer to the cosmic mysterious, We only want mental and spiritual growth."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky thinks about this. "It sounds almost... Zen. I don't know if you know what that means, though. It's an philosophy where I come from."

You must be joking; you can't possibly serious about this. There is no redemption for you, murderer. Rapist. Monster! Look at him. Look! Look at his eyes! See how he judges you? Your clothes, your hair. Even your eyes. Yellow. They aren't even contacts any more, are they? Your hair ain't dyed. Monster.

Jacky shakes his head.

It doesn't matter what he thinks, you know. Or what any one else thinks. You're a monster, Jacky Knives. Now and forever.

Jacky tries to hold back tears. If Lues is paying attention, he would see a great deal of hesitation and internal struggle on Jacky's face.

You could buy a suit. Go to church every Sunday. Hell, you could be the most upstanding citizen ever. You could scrub your public image as clean as you please but the walls of your mind will remain forever stained.

[Nevrmore]

"I can see it in your face; Your inner seed has blossomed into a black and wretched tree. But as I said, there is always redemption, if you just seek it. Come with me and we shall make that tree bloom."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky nods. "I think... yes. Okay."


Fool! Cretin! Give up, why don't you? Wait for him to turn his back and break his neck! Find someone else and kill them, too! You know you want to! Don't deny your instincts, Jacko. You're a killer at heart. There's nothing wrong with that. Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim. You gotta kill.

"No. I mean, yes. Lead the way."

This ain't over.

[Nevrmore]

Lues just smiles gently at Jacky and leads him to the Assimilation Quarters. Inside is a narrow hall lined with many rooms. The father opens the door to the first one on the right.

"After you, my friend."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky moves hesitantly forward and goes through the doorway.

[Nevrmore]

The room is small and dark. There is a table in the middle with a chair on one side. Lues goes behind the table, motioning for Jacky to sit.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky does so, looking around nervously.

[Nevrmore]

"As we do not pray to gods, there is no such vows or anything you have to uphold or be sworn in upon, so we can dispense with that. There is, however, one small rite of passage you must undertake to truly be a part of this church." Lues pulls a small, ornate box and sets it on the table in front of Jacky. He opens it up, and inside there rests a small seed. "Ingest this seed as it symbolizes yourself being born again."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky looks at the seed, and his mind buzzes in anger.

Seriously, what good do you think will come of this? You think you can be a good person again, Jack? You were never a good person. Maybe you think that by eating this seed she'll be able to forgive you? Even if she does, Jacky-boy, you'll never forgive yourself, because you are beyond forgiveness.

Jacky looks at the box, and then at Lues, then to the box again.

"To hell with this. It's time for something new." He takes the seed, places at the back at his tongue, closes his mouth, and swallows.

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles. "Good, good. Now, the next step is to go to the Purification Chamber. Follow me." Lues heads back into the lobby of the church and to the Purification Chamber, allowing Jacky to follow.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky follows behind Lues, continuously swallowing to get the feeling of seed out of his throat.

[Nevrmore]

Lues enters the chamber, which is currently empty. He motions for Jacky to go and sit in the center, where the bright, almost unearthly light shines down.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky looks at Lues. "I just sit in the light?"

This is such a crock of s**t.

[Nevrmore]

"Kneel in the light."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky does so, feeling rather ridiculous.

[Rainspattered]

((Has the church been openly advertised in the slums?))

[Nevrmore]

The world ceases to be. Everything disappears around Jacky except for that strange light. Gravity doesn't even seem to exist anymore, rather he is floating. In front of him is his inner-self.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky's inner self looks just like him: Shockingly green hair, wolf-yellow eyes, even the same clothing and posture. There is one startling difference, however: Inner Jacky is coated with blood. Blood drips from his arms up to his elbows. His mouth is caked with the fluid, it drips from his hair and eyelashes, his clothing is saturated. On his neck, where Jacky has a scar, there is a wide open wound still weeping gore. Inner Jacky raises an eyebrow.

"Am I what you expected," he asks. "This is what you looked like, you know. After you killed yourself. After you killed her." He grins and his teeth are pointed and predatory. "'Cept you weren't so talkative."

Jacky stumbles back and falls, his buttocks connecting with solid, though invisible, ground.

((Am I doing this right?))

[Nevrmore]

((Yes))

For the moment, Lues doesn't exist. It is simply Jacky and his inner-self.

[Sophistemon]

((The squeamish should not read this. I'm warning you.))

Inner Jacky walks closer.

"What are we doin' here, man? What's the God-damned matter with you?"

"Nu-nothing."

"Oh, really? Something ain't right. You should be out there cuttin' people. That's what you're good at. That's who you are."

"Not anymore. I don't want to do that anymore."

"Who gives a rat's ass about what you want to do, p***y? You ain't even real."

Jacky's eyes widen. "What?"

"You heard me. You ain't nothin' but a parasite. I'm the real Jacky Knives."

"No... no, that isn't true."

"Of course it is. Jacky Knives is a killer through and through. He used to be the terror of the Barrens, remember? The Barren Butcher, they called me. Not us. Me. You? You're nothing."

"I don't... I don't want to be the Butcher. I don't want that any more."

"Oh, I know that, trust me. Why else would we have this?" He motions to his wound. "It's because of her. She did this to me. She made you."

To the right of the two Jackys appears a little girl, of around twelve years old. She is crumpled on the ground and covered in blood. Inner Jacky smiles.

"Remember her? Of course you do. How could you forget?"

"No... no..."

"Don't you remember the fun we had? Grabbing her? Stuffing her in the car?"

"No... please, God, no..."

"Eluding the police, getting back to the safe-house?"

Jacky starts to cry. His scar hurts.

"Gagging her with a sock, dragging her to the room? You remember."

"Please stop. Please."

"She was crying, remember? So we hit her to shut her up. And then we hit her again, because we liked the noise it made."

"No... no more. Please!"

Inner Jacky stands in front of him, and chuckles. "Then... heh... we tore her clothes off. She was the mayor's daughter, right? We had to make him suffer as much as possible. We needed to send a message."

Jacky just holds his head in his hands and cries.

“I won’t go into to detail. Suffice to say she suffered.”

Jacky whimpers.

“And at the end, when you were strangling the life out of her, you looked into her eyes. Those big, blue eyes.”

A harsh, strangled sob.

“And you saw her mouth. She couldn’t talk; she had no air. But she looked at you, and mouthed that word. That one, stupid little word.” Inner Jacky snarls. “She said -”

Jacky looks up, face wet. “She said… ‘why?’”

Inner Jacky nods. “She said ‘why’. That’s when you were born. That’s when you let go of her, took out your knife, and did this to me. Hell, I don’t even know if the little b***h died or not. I hope so. It would suck if I kicked the bucket for nothing.”

Jacky stands, shakily, to his feet. “You… you’re a monster.”

“That’s right. We’re a monster.”

“No. You. Only you.” His eyes narrow. “She didn’t do anything to anyone and you killed her.”

“We killed her. That’s what’s got you all confused. You think that you and I are different. We’re the same person. We’re Jacky Knives, the Barren Butcher.”

“No! I’m not you! I’m not you any more!” Blood pools in Jacky’s palms and, startlingly, crystallizes into dark red knives.

“Hey, that’s a neat trick. When did we learn that? Woulda made wasting Jimmy the Weasel so much easi- ugh!” A stab to the belly.

“Grughk!” A stab to the ribs.

“Bruhk… gluk…” To the lungs and liver.

“Wheeze…” Both knives to the heart.

“I may be Jacky Knives, but I’m not a monster any more.”

The void vanishes. He’s back in his body.

[Nevrmore]

"And you are now reborn." Lues says, walking towards Jacky.

[Sophistemon]

Jacky abandons his kneeling position and stands. He breaths, slowly. He opens his mouth to speak, but does not. He swallows, and...

"I killed him."

((The color of Inner Jacky's text was representing the color of Jacky's wolf-yellow eyes.

Also, I'm sorry for the length and content of the post. It certainly wasn't light and fluffy, but I felt it needed to be written.))

[Nevrmore]

There is a glint in Lues's eyes. "I know."

[Sophistemon]

"I killed him... for her."

He starts to cry again, his cheeks becoming streaked with wetness.

[Nevrmore]

"Good, my friend. Cry. Water your spiritual tree with the tears and hopes of your repentance."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky falls once again to his knees and buries his head in his hands. He sobs and the sobs wrack his frame. He cries and cries until there is no more wetness in him and still he cries until the tears dry on his cheeks and leave behind glittering crystals of salt that slowly disappear as they are absorbed into his skin.

The crying stop. He sniffs and wipes his nose and eyes with a sleeve.

He stands up and turns to Lues.

"Thank you," he says. "Thank you for helping me."

((This church had better not be evil or I will be so pissed it won't be funny.))

[Nevrmore]

((No, not evil. *cough*But there may be some complications to Jacky later*cough*))

[Sophistemon]

((Meh. I can deal with it.))

"What can I do for you? I mean, I'll do anything. For the first time ever, in my life, I don't feel... violent. I feel clean."

[Raistlin1040]

A human with long black hair enters the temple. He motions strangely to the priest, but doesn't speak.

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles, "You can be a better citizen and spread the word. That is all we ask." The Father motions to the other person to hold on for a moment.

[Raistlin1040]

The guy leaves.

[Sophistemon]

"Of course. Thank you again."

[Nevrmore]

"You're welcome, my friend."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky nods. "Is there anything else that needs to be done, or... what? What happens now?"

[Nevrmore]

"Hmm...You're not quite ready to join s in the Congregation. For now, you can go out and see the world. When we need you here again, you will be alerted."

[Sophistemon]

Jacky nods, and leaves.

[Raistlin1040]

((Cult! CULT!))

[Rebonack]

((You don't even have any worshipers. What's Ekrath a god of anyway?))

[Nevrmore]

((You can just take your naysaying and naysay your way out the door, mister.))

[Sophistemon]

((Is the man with black hair still there?

EDIT

Never mind.))

[Nevrmore]

Lues leaves the church, telling a nearby acolyte to keep everything in order.

[Nevrmore]

Even more newcomers flock into the cognregation room, filling up the pews almost entirely.

[Sophistemon]

Jack enters the Church and looks around for Lues.

[Nevrmore]

Fortunately enough, just at that moment Lues walked through the door.

[Sophistemon]

Jack rubs the back of his neck and winces as he touches the bruise. "Oh, there you are. Hey, I just wanted to know when I should come and pray or whatever. You know, the rules of worship and everything."

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles, seeing Jacky rubbing his neck.

"Hmm...you are not quite ready yet. Come back tomorrow and you can be fully integrated into our church."

[Sophistemon]

Jack widens his eyes. "Uh... sure. If that's what you want." He extends his hand, thinks better of is, and bows instead. For some reason he feels that it's better to bow to a holy man than it is to shake his hand.

[Raistlin1040]

Laif (Man with black hair) enters with only the clothes on his back and a steel guitar.

[Nevrmore]

((Hey, Floyd is the guitar guy buddy!))

Lues bows a little to Jacky before turning to Laif.

"Can I help you?"

[Raistlin1040]

Laif gestures to his mouth and then, using a spell, creates a little void and points at it.

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at Laif and then at the portal, slightly confused.

[Raistlin1040]

He tries again. He opens his mouth, but no words come out.

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel enters, and looks around with curiousity.

[Nevrmore]

"Are you a mute, my friend?"

[Raistlin1040]

Laif nods.

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at the portal floating gently in the air.

"Do you want me to enter this?"

[Warpfire]

Nathaniel looks around, then leaves.

[Raistlin1040]

Laif nods.

[Nevrmore]

Lues turns to Jacky. "You may leave if you wish, my friend." He says before entering the portal.

[Raistlin1040]

Inside are millions of tunes, all playing at once, blending into a beautiful melody. Lues is approached by two Laifs, one looking scared and one looking confidant.

[Nevrmore]

"Hello, my friends." Lues says, smiling gently.

[Raistlin1040]

The scared one leaps back and the more confident one smiles.
How are you? We are two of Laif's aspects. I'm Ego and this is Shyness.
Hello.

[Nevrmore]

Lues wonders why there is no id or superego, but shrugs it off.

"I see. And what have you brought me here for, friends?"

[Raistlin1040]

We've brought you here? No, you must be talking about Laif as a whole. He needs to be able to talk. We don't know why he can't. Only Secrets knows and he's a hermit.

[Nevrmore]

"And you are hoping that I can cure him of his apparent aphasia?"

[Raistlin1040]

Another aspect appears. He's dressed in a tux.
"I believe that's what he wants us to want. The name's Class. High Class."

[Nevrmore]

Hmm...how very interesting.

Lues smiles. "Well then, I might have a few ideas on how I can help."

[Raistlin1040]

High Class raises an eyebrow
"Oh? Pray tell."

[Sophistemon]

Jack shrugs and leaves, reminding himself to remind himself to return tomorrow.

[Nevrmore]

"Well, before I indulge you in my own theories, maybe it would be best for you to inform me as to how he became mute."

[Raistlin1040]

"As Ego said, only Secrets knows exactly why he's mute. And he's a hermit."

[Nevrmore]

How very fortunate...

"Then I suppose all I can do is experiment."

[Raistlin1040]

"Go ahead."

[Nevrmore]

"You see, my friend, an integral part of my religion is the belief that the human soul is akin to a tree. A healthy soul breeds a healthy body and a healthy mind. A withered soul, however, can damage you much more tha metaphysically."

Lues clasps his hands behind his back, pacing as he speaks. "So, as the principal speaker of this faith, I have to wonder if the withering of his spiritual tree has anything to do with his aphasia."

[Raistlin1040]

High Class tries hard not to smile
"And how do you plan to help the "tree"? Water it? Make sure it's photosynthesis is working right?"

[Nevrmore]

"Destroy it."

[Raistlin1040]

"The soul? Yeah. That's not going to work with us."

[Nevrmore]

"Not the soul; That is impossible, friend for everyone but maybe a deity. The soul's Yggdrasil and the soul itself are two different things..The soul is an abstract, whilst the tree is a concrete manifestation of that abstract."

[Raistlin1040]

((Hooray for Norse Mythology!))
"Then go crazy."

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles and walks to an empty part of the strange world.

"Let us see if I cannot make his tree grow."

Lues places his hands flat on the floor. Vines emerged from his sleeves, digging forcefully ground, weaving in and out as they form some sort of archaic drawing that can only be fully comprehended if viewed from above. He attempts to make the soul's tree rise.

((Your decision if you want it to rise or not))

[Raistlin1040]

The tree rises but not fully.

[Nevrmore]

"Strange, but this will be enough."

Lues stands up, the vines falling out of his sleeves and laying on the ground. He walks over to the tree.

"Are you ready?"

[Raistlin1040]

"Sure. I guess so."

[Nevrmore]

Lues faces the tree, masking his smirk.

No, you surely are not.

The acolyte places his hands upon the trunk of the tree and closes his eyes. It begins to give off a warm glow.

The vines lying in the ground begin circling faster and faster, closing in on the spiritual tree. Finally, as they creep as close as they can they entwince themselves around the trunk, rising up into the branches in a spiral pattern. Soon, the tree is wrapped in what looks like some sort of plant net. The Yggdrassil, as Lues called it, begins shaking wildly as if trying to escape the ropes' grip, but it does not seem to be working. The sound akin to chipping wood is a clue that the vines seem to be tightening themselves around the trunk.

Lues steps back, admiring his work for a moment. He then takes a half step forward, thrusting his palm into the trunk with a considerable amount of force.

((Does the tree explooooode?))

[Raistlin1040]

The tree explodes, killing Lues. Another aspect, Sadism appears. Haha, look at the dead guy.

[Nevrmore]

((Por que?))

[Raistlin1040]

((Because I feel like it. Now stop speaking Spanish.))

[Nevrmore]

((I don't really like the aspect of Lues dying.))

[Flabbicus]

(( Er, isn't that Raistlin godmodding Nevrmore's character? I can also see this church's relation to buddhism and maybe sikhism, besides the obvious comparison to Norse mythology. ))

[Raistlin1040]

((Nah. It's not really real. I just wanted to use Sadism. Carry on as though the tree had done whatever it was you wanted it to do.))

[Nevrmore]

The tree is no more. This will probably have some side effects to Laif's psyche...

[Raistlin1040]

((Such as...?))

[Flabbicus]

(( Ah, that makes a bit more sense. Carry on with your pseudoshennanigans then. ))

[Nevrmore]

((Whatever your imagination wants it to be! It's your character's psyche. Think of what would happen to a house that got its support beam broken))

[Raistlin1040]

((My imagination died when I started going to school.))

[Nevrmore]

((You're no fun.))

The world begins to fluctuate wildly, like a house with a broken support beam. Lues digs around in his pockets calmly.

[Raistlin1040]

((I'm 14. What do you expect?))
Class and Ego look amused, but Shyness freaks out.

[Nevrmore]

Lues seems to find what he was searching for, pulling it out of his robes. The three aspects of Laif would be unable to see what it is.

"Remember earlier when I said that the Yggdrassil is not actually a person's soul?"

[Raistlin1040]

"Yeah, I do."

[Nevrmore]

"I lied."

Lues drops the item in his hand into the hole where the other tree once stood. Immediately it grows, its roots interweaving and interconnecting in an impossible pattern. The tree is many times taller than the one that Lues destroyed.

[Raistlin1040]

"Soooooo. What did you do?"

[Nevrmore]

"If I did this correctly, then I just recruited a new member to my divine order."

[Raistlin1040]

"Great. Just great. Will Laif be alright?"

[Nevrmore]

"In mind, yes. He will be to a certain extent in body...I took care in making sure he would not simply be a host who would eventually explode to spread the spores."

[Rebonack]

((That's very considerate of him.))

[Sophistemon]

"In mind, yes. He will be to a certain extent in body...I took care in making sure he would not simply be a host who would eventually explode to spread the spores."
((Aw, crap.))

[Nevrmore]

"Well, my friends, it seems my work here is finished. I think I shall be leaving, now."

[Sophistemon]

Jack bursts into the Church, looking very upset. "Lues? Lues, are you there!? I-I need to t-talk to you! I n-need some help!"

[Nevrmore]

Lues, hearing the commotion, tells the congregation to sit quietly and pray as he walks out into the main lobby.

"Ah, my friend! What is troubling you?"

[Sophistemon]

Jack turns around and bares his neck. He points to the ... thing. "This! This is wrong with me!" He turns back to face him. "You're a holy man, right? A cleric? From what I know, clerics are like doctors. Can you fix it?"

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at the "strange" abrasions and protrusions on Jacky's neck.

"How very odd..." He says.

Odd that the seed has sprouted and yet he retains his personality...This hasn't happened before.

Lues walks up to Jacky.

"Tell me, does this hurt?" He says, pulling on one of the leafy protrusions close to its ripping point.

[Sophistemon]

Jack makes a little 'eeeee' sound as the roots of the whatever it is pull on a nerve cluster. "To be honest, yeah. It isn't very comfortable. Can you cure it?"

[Nevrmore]

This makes no sense at all. It's integrated with his cental nervous system, that's obvious.

Lues takes a step back, thinking about how he can "fix" this for the both of them. He silently recalls Laif from yesterday.

"I think I may have an idea."

[Sophistemon]

Jack sighs, relieved. "Oh, good. Whew. I was worried it was going to be terminal or something."

[Nevrmore]

"Now...let us see if I have grasped the hang of this." The acolyte says. He walks over to Jacky and places a hand on his chest, trying his best to make it so that the ex-con doesn't seen the vines extending from his sleeves. They form an archaic pattern underneath Lues's palm, and after a few moments of intense concentration, a portal opens up.

((Don't ask me how that happened, for I do not know.))

[Sophistemon]

"I... uh... was expecting the cure to less... magical."

[Nevrmore]

"Before we can mend the body, we must mend the soul/"

Lues steps through the portal and into Jacky's psyche.

((What does it look like, Sophie?))

[Sophistemon]

Jack's psyche is heavily dichotomous between normalcy and twisted, chaotic madness, though the normalcy is far more prevalent. For now. The landscape is composed of many shades of the colors green and orange with green, it appears, representing Jack's sanity and thus the more common of the two colors.

[Nevrmore]

Lues wastes no time finding an empty patch of land and performing the same ritual he did on Laif the day before, attempting to make Jacky's inner tree rise.

[Sophistemon]

The tree bursts from the ground, growing tall in but a few moments. Strangely, it appears to be two trees attached and grown from the same trunk. One of the trees, the larger of the two, has dark green bark and light green leaves while the smaller has a dark, burnt orange bark and amber-colored leaves.

[Nevrmore]

"This is getting old."Lues says, rolling his eyes. He attempts to destroy the tree.

[Sophistemon]

Jack gasps. "H-hey, what are you doing in there?"

The tree shudders and leaves fall off, but it seems otherwise unharmed.

Small orange fruits begin to bloom on the orange side of the tree.

[Nevrmore]

"...Let me try this once more."

Lues tries it once more.

[Sophistemon]

Jack, having no idea what's going on and not knowing how to defend himself from it even if he did, is unable to stop his inner tree from shuddering, dropping leaves and fruit, cracking, and crumpling to mulch.

[Nevrmore]

"Much better." Lues says, waving his hand to relieve it of the pain after the second thrust into the tree's trunk. He pulls a telltale seed out of his robes and places it into the soil where the previous tree once stood.

((DUZ IT GRO?????!!?))

[Sophistemon]

((YEZ IT DO!))

The seed quickly sprouts roots and branches and grows to adulthood.

[Nevrmore]

Lues smiles, nodding. He walks back into the real world, turning to face Jacky.

"So tell me, Jacky. How do you feel, now?"

[Sophistemon]

Jack feels strange. "I... you..." He shakes his head like he's trying to clear it. "What did you do?"

[Nevrmore]

"I healed you."

[Sophistemon]

"I... I don't feel..." He reaches to the back of his neck, searching for the plant.

((Is it still there?))

[Nekulor]

*seridur enters the temple*

Where are the people your clerics healed at the rally? I demand to know. I saw many of them start in this direction in a trance. If you hurt those good people, by the gods you shall know wrath!

[Nevrmore]

((I'm curious as to how Seridur found out about what the Church does.

Sophistemon: the swelling and bruising has gone away, but now the buds have matured.))

[Obsidian Blade]

((Heh. This Church sounds like a Stephen King sort of thing....))

[Nekulor]

((He noticed the goblins at the rally wandering off in the trance-like state after being seeded by your priests. He was there, and donated a large sum to the cause of goblin freedom.Then, he simply followed the goblins here, though he got lost for a bit when he stopped to help at the jail when it came under attack. After the mummy there ran off, he picked the trail back up and followed a straggler here. Paladins...too nosy for their own good...))

[Obsidian Blade]

((Yeah, but how did he know about seed possesion? I think possibly Jacky and Lues are the only two who really know the deal with that.))

[Nekulor]

((from the posts on the rally thread, it was fairly obvious the seeds were causing it though. At the very least, Seridur is here on suspicion of evil acts, which is perfectly acceptable for a Tyrran Paladin. If you wish for me to change my first post to remove the last paragraph and edit the first, I can do that...on second thought, I'll fix it now. Hold on.))

[Nevrmore]

((That's better, good soiree.))

Lues looks at Seridur.

"Why, they are in the cognregation room, praying for the growth of their spirituality. Why?"

[Nekulor]

They are also in some sort of trance. I tried talking to four or five of them and none responded, they just mumbled something about the church of the seed and kept walking. I want to examine the ones your clerics worked on to make sure you didn't harm them.

[Nevrmore]

"Of course...Head down that hall and take the first right." Lues says, pointing to the Assimilation Chambers. He silently thanks himself that he never got around to putting up signs for the different sections of the church.

[Nekulor]

I will.

*Seridur walks down the hallway until he is out of sight, then quickly turns from the direction he was sent in to explore the complex.*

[Nevrmore]

A man robed in black stops Seridur.

"Hello, sir. How are you doing?"

[Nekulor]

Very well. I'm the local health inspector, you see. I'm here making sure this temple is clean and in fine working order. Now if I can just ask you some questions...

[Nevrmore]

"I wasn't aware that the government sent health inspectors for temples."

[Nekulor]

They do. Recent issues with the Temple of Inarri prompted the change, apparently they had a rat demon infestation, so now we have to check all the temples.

[Nevrmore]

The acolyte it suspicious, but let's it pass.

"Alright then, sir. Ask away."

[Rebonack]

((He's lucky he's talking to an NPC who apparently has a negative Sense Motive modifier.))

[Nevrmore]

((It's more interesting this way))

[Nekulor]

Very well. I've noticed a large amount of plant life in this temple, which I assume has no ill effects on the worshipers, correct? We wouldn't want someone having a major allergic reaction and getting really sick, even with the clerics around.

Also, more out of curiosity, who do you worship here? I assume it is some great tree due to the name "Church of the Seed", but I wasn't briefed on your religion's tenants before I came... council is busy enough as it is without having to fill in the buerocracy, you know?

Now, all I need is simply one of those seeds clerics like yourself use in order to make sure it is totally safe, otherwise, I'm done once you take care of my questions.

*bluffs like there's no tomorrow*

[Nevrmore]

((Pro-tip: There is no plantlife in the church. I'll allow the rest thought since I would assume Seridur saw Lues spreading seeds over the wounded goblins at the Rally.))

The acolyte seems a little confused by Seridur's bluff.

"uhh...well..We don't worship a god per se. We worship the spirituality within ourselves. As Father Lues puts it, if you really want an answer about what we worship, we worship the World Tree - An amalgmation of all the spirituality of our followers. Of course, that's just a metaphor. "

He scratches his head.

"I can't give you a seed, though. Only members of our faith can have one."

[Nekulor]

I see. You worship a metaphorical tree, correct? Then what are the seeds?

[Nevrmore]

"Metaphorical."

[Nekulor]

Right, metaphorical or course. So, why did the wounded at the rally get healed miraculously without any spells being flung? Gods are powerful, but the only ones who were healed were the ones who were prayed for AND "seeded" by your clerics.

[Nevrmore]

"Well, seeing as that everyone we pray for gets seeded, that doesn't seem too suspicious to me."

[Nekulor]

Very well. Now, I'm looking for the main worship chamber. Once I make sure all those injured in the attacks earlier are okay, I'll be on my way. I was asked by a cleric from the Temple of Dyrr to check up on those Nekulor's clerics healed.

((He's not believing most of this. He seems to be half-heartedly talking and taking in a survey of the area at the same time, studying architecture, building patterns and possible escape scenarios if a battle were to go awry.))

[Sophistemon]

"I don't feel well. And I think the plant-thing is bigger."

[Goblin Music]

A small amount of air falls into itself and Sylk stands where the air was looking around the church.

[Nevrmore]

The hooded man felt a strange throbbing in his neck. He did nothing that would alert anybody that something was wrong, but it had happened; He had received a form of message only he could decipher.

"Of course, my friend. Right this way."

The robed man showed Seridur into a long hallway, pointing towards one of the doors. "In there."

-----------------

Lues looked at Jacky, silently wondering if his treatment had worked.

"Bigger, you say?" He said, looking worried. "Well then, I think you should go into the Purification Chamber. That should cure you of this affliction."

[Nekulor]

Ok, I'll go and have a look.

*Seridur turns to walk into the room, but instead whips back around, slashing with a whitish red 4 ft katana he drew from his side. He is aiming directly for the neck.*

Honestly, I know better than to go where directed in hostile territory. You are simply trying to send me to my doom or assimilation like those poor fools that wandered in from the rally.

[Nevrmore]

The acolyte's head comes clean off, his body dropping to the ground with a thump. Lues appears in the doorway.

"I believe that constitutes murder, my friend." He says. He turns around and instructs a nearby priest to alert the proper authorities. The priest runs off and out the door.

[Rebonack]

A sigil ringed rift opens up in the Church and Maph'tey disembarks. He looks down at the decapitated man in disgust, then at the fellow with naked steel in hand.

"Drop your weapon. You're under arrest."

[Lord Magtok]

Agent Omega soon appears in the Church as well. He simply stands there, and decides to let others do the talking.

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at Maph'tey, "Thank goodness you are here, my friend. This man came in with obvious feracity and it seems that he has killed one of our children in his madness."

[Chaotic Bob]

Yurioc follows in after Maph'tey and looks at some acolyte.
Hey, aren't you that man I met on the street?

[Nevrmore]

((DeBunny: No, Lues wasn't the one you met. That was just an NPC acolyte))

[Rebonack]

Maph'tey waves his hand in front of the murder's face, noting that he appears to be caught in a pocket of Dead Time. The Traveler sighs.

"He's in temporal stasis at the moment. It's impossible to interact with him," the Traveler glances over at Lues. "I can place a durable barrier around him that can last for several days. You can just give us a call when he starts moving again and we can come pick him up."

Maph'tey looks at the man's holy symbol.

"And he calls himself a paladin, a defender of the helpless. Disgusting."

[Nevrmore]

Lues nods, kneeling down to the quite-dead cleric at his feet.

"Poor Morbus...You were such a good follower. You did not deserve this."

[Chaotic Bob]

((*whistles innocently* I have no idea what you're implying with all this 'Lues' business...))

Yurioc shrugs and looks at the corpse.
Was there even a reason given for this murder that may justify it?

[Nevrmore]

"I do not know, my rodent friend. He walked in here, anger tinging his voice, demanding strange things of me. I pointed him into another room, and after a few minutes I walk by to see him standing over the deceased Morbus..."

[Rebonack]

Maph'tey casts a Force Cage around the 'paladin' and then turns to Lues.

"I'll see if I can corroborate your story," the Traveler says as his eyes flair silver. He begins poking around at the fabric of time, looking for the imprint of the past hour's events regarding the murderer.

[Chaotic Bob]

In theory, he could be resurrected if you would like and he could shed some light on the event, perhaps?.

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at Yoriuc warily, "You could bring poor Morbus back from the dead?"

[Kyrian]

((*waits for Nevrmore to post again at the police station*))

[Rebonack]

((Remember, it only works if poor Morbus wants to come back!))

The light in Maph'tey's eyes fades. He taps his chin several times in thought.

"The 'suspect' came here saying that he was a 'temple inspector' sent by the Town Health Department or some such nonsense. Apparently he was looking for people who had converted to the Church's faith. The people here gave him the runaround and he killed that fellow for it," he indicates the headless man.

[Chaotic Bob]

((hm..I'm not sure psionic revivify has that restriction....))

I could indeed bring him back if that is what you'd like, sir.

[Nevrmore]

Lues closes his eyes. "It appears I was right in pointing him from the Congregation Room, where he requested to go. I was afraid what he might have done around so many people..."

[Rebonack]

Maph'tey suddenly flicker visibly, grabbing the side of his head as he does so.

"The wards... This isn't any good..."

He then crumbles into a pile of crystal grains for no readily apparent reason.

[Nevrmore]

Lues looks at Maph'tey as he disintegrates.

"...Queer."

[Chaotic Bob]

Yurioc watches Maph'tey collapse with a confused expression.
Ok...that aside for later...did you wish Morbus here revived?

[Nevrmore]

"Yes, please. Revive my faithful friend cut down before his time."

[Chaotic Bob]

The mouse removes his fedora and telekinetically moves the head back to the neck stump. He initiates a psionic revivify (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/psionicRevivify.htm) on the corpse.

[Nevrmore]

Morbus' eyes flicker open.

"Am I dead?" He asks.

[Chaotic Bob]

Yurioc grins and flips his hat back on, moving over to the man's face.
Nope, your alive and breathing. Do you remember anything particularly important that happened before this moment?

[Nevrmore]

Morbus looks around. The way his face twists into that of fear after seeing Seridur is enough for anyone gifted with sight to know that he is the acolyte's killer.

"I had a horrible feeling that this man was not what he said he was...I did my best to keep him away from other people. The last thing I remember was seeing my own body from above..."

[Chaotic Bob]

The mouse nods and looks at the dead timed man.
It's alright, the Town police force has him under control. Is there any other way I can help you?

[Nevrmore]

"No thank you, kind rodent. You've done enough already."

"Indeed you have." Lues says, nodding.

[Chaotic Bob]

It was a pleasure to assist you, but just out of curiosity...do you have any idea why he decided to 'investigate' you?

[Nevrmore]

Lues shrugged. "Apparently, he had some problem with the day I came and helped heal some of the goblins who were injured during the boming at the Rally."

[Chaotic Bob]

That's an odd thing to be angry about...did you do anything that he could have misunderstood?

[Nevrmore]

Lues shrugs, "I do not know..."

[Goblin Music]

Sylk pops out of dead time humming

[Chaotic Bob]

Yurioc frowns and rubs his chin.
Alright...I'll tell the police of this, but if you need nothing else, I'll take my leave.

[Goblin Music]

Sylk looks around the church humming.

[Nevrmore]

Lues stands.

"Very well. Thank you, noble mouse."

He walks into the lobby and sees Sylk.

[Chaotic Bob]

Yurioc bows and teleports out.

[Goblin Music]

He hums then sees Lues hello good sir, but with all this vegetation what are your views on fire? he asks sincerely

[Nekulor]

((back.))
*Seridur tries to move but notices he is stuck within a wall of force. He then pulls out a scroll and yells, only a single word is understandable by those without magical training.*
"Disjunction!"

((now that I think about it, I should have just drugged the guy and taken him to a cleric at another church to get him examined.))

[Nekulor]

*noticing he is surrounded by those in dead time, he sits down to prey for the fallen cleric...he then ponders why exactly he killed the cleric. Then, he begins scanning the area for a seed.*